Left/Right/TX/RX

Active member

Hello all,
I've been browsing for some pagoda antennas for my upcoming FPV FT Cruiser, and I've noticed some rigs that made me question what I know... First off, I've got a X8+ FPV system that came with a tx/rx ccd camera and a cf mount. The antennas that came with it were generic cloverleafs with shields I got 2 blues and 1 red. I ASSUMED that the reds were right hand and the blues were left so I've been running the blues without any issues.
While I was browsing, I noticed some very similar antennas that came in a three pack (1 red and 2 blue) and after reading the specs, the blues are RX antennas (two for diversity setups) and the red is TX. Now the big question, is this just a marketing ploy? Is there really a difference between the tx and rx antennas? I've read a few articles that suggest the TX antennas are "tuned" to transmit with precision. But if this is true, the exact same can be said for the RX antenna. This statement would also suggest that the RX antennas AREN'T tuned. And if this statement is true, then why not buy all TX antennas? I'd be very interested to know if anyone has RXXI or LQ tested these type antennas just to prove they are in fact... exactly the same antenna. There is nothing that can be said for "tuning" or "higher gain" on the TX side that wouldn't actually be MORE beneficial to the RX. If the claim is that the TX is "high gain tuned" then you'll have a larger than normal dead zone where the gain draws from. This is VERY bad for the tx side since all your aircraft has to do is roll over facing the dead zone toward the RX and BOOM, no more signal. If the claim is "tuned for less interference" I again call BS since both antennas would benefit from the tuning and thus both would be equal.

Anyways, if anyone has some insight on TX/RX dedicated circularly polarized antennas, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Here I've been thinking for weeks that I had a right hand with no match...

Eternal Student

The only place I've seen the Tx/Rx differentiation is on cheap cloverleaf antennae. If you were to crack into the plastic case you'd probably find that one or the other has an additional lobe. I've never heard of an antenna being tuned for either Rx or Tx, they are tuned to the frequency they operate on.